Alofalelei (a.lo.fa.leˈlei)
Alofalelei is the largest village on the Papa Ahi plateau. It lies on the shores of the Vai Tafe, only thirty miles from the sacred mountain Maunavā. Most of the roads across the Papa Ahi converge at Alofalelei, making it a nexus of trade for the plateau's communities.
It is also the starting point of a sacred pilgrimage route leading to the peak of Maunavā. The mountain serves as an Eclectic Temple to the sky gods of the Great Ring, and the path is lined with shrines dedicated to every deity of wind, weather, and open skies known to the priests. For all who wish to petition the lords of the sky as a whole, the journey must begin - or end, with its final sacred step - at Alofalelei.
A Sacred Landscape
The first steps of the pilgrimage path are taken in the waters of the Vai Tafe. Like all villages of the Papa Ahi, Alofalelei's founders had to secure the blessing of the Aku before they could build there - and for those along the great river, that meant petitioning Talavau'aku, the Moemoe'aku of the Vai Tafe. Talavau'aku is counted among the kindest of the moemoe'aku to the Mu'o'a and has permitted several settlements along their banks. In honor of this god, the path to Maunavā's peak begins with one's feet in the river, carrying Talavau'aku's blessing upward as they ascend the sacred mountain.
The pilgrim then passes through the heart of the village, pausing at the entrance to the fale'ofā'ao to honor the eggs yet to hatch and the faamoega of Alofalelei's nest. This marks the final step of the pilgrimage within the village. At its edge stands the home of Tasi mui Alofalelei, the founder and guardian Fua'aku of the community. There, the pilgrim offers thanks for the village's hospitality and leaves a gift in honor of the fua'aku. From that threshold, they set out along the path to the sky, toward Maunavā and the Fono Langi, the Conclave of the Heavens.
Demographics
Although Alofalelei is the largest settlement on the Papa Ahi plateau, it would not be considered large by the standards of more populated regions. The high plateau cannot sustain sizable communities, and the village has only about 120 residents. All are Kikipua of the Mu'o'a ethnicity, as is typical across the island of Motu. Despite its small size, Alofalelei welcomes visitors, and its proximity to Maunavā and the Fono Langi brings a more diverse stream of travelers than most remote Mu'o'a villages ever see.
Geographic Details
Location: Southern RegionLatitude: 9.06 degrees South
Longitude: 0.63 degrees East
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This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
It's a nice little place, but one question remains: How many travelers are "a more diverse stream of travelers than most"? A few each week? Several hundred over the course of a month? Ten people in a year?
A lot of unofficial Challenges
Motu is pretty out of the way; they get pilgrims from other islands maybe one every few years. You need a pretty compelling reason for why you need to petition the conclave of all the sky gods at once. Local pilgrims are more common; they do it to help maintain the Eclectic Temple.